Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on October 16, 2024 |
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2024-10-16 23:10 |
Xinhua News Agency: From October 14 to 16, Premier Li Qiang traveled to Pakistan to attend the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and paid an official visit to Pakistan. Could you share with us the details and major outcomes of the visit? Mao Ning: China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and iron-clad friends. This is the second visit of China’s Premier of the State Council to Pakistan in 11 years and marks an exchange of visits at the head-of-government level between the two countries within a year. Premier Li Qiang had in-depth discussions with the leaders from the Pakistani government, national assembly, and military. Let me share with you the positive outcomes in the following three areas. First, consolidating all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan. Both sides shared the view that the iron-clad friendship has stood the test of time and gained renewed vigor, and under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, bilateral relations share sound momentum of growth. China reaffirmed that it prioritizes its relations with Pakistan in its foreign policy. Pakistan stressed that its relationship with China is the cornerstone of its foreign policy and its friendship with China is an overwhelming consensus recognized by all sectors in Pakistan. Both sides agreed to continue firmly supporting each other’s core interests, enhance high-level exchanges, jointly strive for respective modernization and national rejuvenation, and speed up the building of a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. Second, deepening practical cooperation in various fields. Both sides agreed to foster synergy of development strategies, jointly upgrade China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), accelerate the building of railway, highway, port and other major projects, step up the integrated development of industries, and deepen practical cooperation in such areas as agriculture, minerals, information technology, energy, economic exchange and trade, and people-to-people and cultural exchange so as to benefit more people in the two countries through bilateral cooperation. During the visit to Pakistan, leaders of the two countries attended the completion ceremony of the New Gwadar International Airport. Relevant departments of both sides signed the documents covering cooperation on CPEC, people’s livelihoods, science and technology, TV programs, quarantine and inspection, etc. Third, ensuring a safe environment for cooperation. Pakistan expressed deep condolences over Chinese victims whose lives were taken in a recent terrorist attack and vowed to do everything it could to nail down the perpetrators and combat terrorism. Pakistan will also step up security measures, and fully ensure the security and safety of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. China supports Pakistan’s efforts to fight terrorism and has asked Pakistan to take targeted security measures and create a safe environment for bilateral cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed their zero-tolerance approach against terrorism and readiness to increase bilateral and multilateral counterterrorism cooperation, form a synergy on counterterrorism regionally and internationally and jointly keep the region peaceful and stable. Reuters: In the Joint Statement between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China that you mentioned, the two countries laid emphasis on strengthening security measures, including targeted measures. To be specific, what new measures or projects will China implement to this end? Will China fund or directly engage the effort to beef up security in Pakistan? If so, could you share more details? Mao Ning: During Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Pakistan, the Pakistani side promised to firmly enhance security input, strengthen security measures, and ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan. China firmly supports Pakistan in fighting terrorism, and stands ready to help Pakistan enhance its counterterrorism capacity building and work with Pakistan to create a safe environment for cooperation between the two countries. AFP: An annual report on internet freedom was released today by US-based research group Freedom House. The report found that internet freedom has fallen globally for the 14th straight year. China and Myanmar have a low level of internet freedom. Did the Foreign Ministry see this report and does it have any comment? Mao Ning: Let me stress that China is a country that upholds the rule of law and Chinese citizens enjoy various rights and freedoms in accordance with the law. The institution that you mentioned has long made groundless remarks on China-related issues, and the so-called report is ill-motivated. China News Service: On October 16, 1964, when China successfully detonated its first atomic bomb, China immediately declared that it would follow a policy of “no first use” of nuclear weapons. We noted that not long ago, during the review process of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Chinese delegation called for efforts from nuclear-weapons states to negotiate and conclude a treaty on mutual no-first-use of nuclear weapons. Do yo |